New footage of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina has been released at CinemaCon. Taking place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, the spinoff will follow Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, an assassin on a revenge mission following her father’s death. The movie will feature returning John Wick actors Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick. The upcoming Ballerina was directed by franchise newcomer Len Wiseman and is set to premiere on June 6, 2025.
Now, Lionsgate has revealed new footage from Ballerina at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where ScreenRant was in attendance. In the beginning of the footage, voiceover dialogue can be heard saying, “In Slavic mythology, the Kikimora is a spirit that exists in the shadows.” This is accompanied with a fight scene. Eve then meets John, who says, “You can still leave. You still have a choice.” Then she asks him, “Why did you leave?” and he responds, “I’m working on it.”
Eve then goes to the Continental hotel and meets Winston Scott (McShane). Eventually, she goes to what looks like a pub, and someone attacks her. They have a long, brutal fight that destroys the pub. The fight is emblematic of the typical action scenes from the John Wick movies. After she kills the attacker, she goes upstairs and finds the woman she was initially speaking to, who is holding a knife.
Eve says, “I’m not going to hurt you,” but the woman attacks her. They have another fight, except this time in the kitchen. They end up hitting each other with dozens of plates, breaking them. In the end, Eve locks her in the freezer, and says, “What the f–k?” Someone says, “This is a declaration of war if she’s not called off.” Then we see John Wick and Eve together in the snow. “You can leave,” he says. “I’m not leaving,” she responds. The footage then ends with the “rules and consequences” dialogue from the Ballerina trailer.
Ana de Armas was also present in person to promote the movie. While discussing her work on Ballerina, she described her training as “a whole different level” compared to her work on the 2021 James Bond movie No Time to Die. She also described shooting an intense scene in the ice where “they had to put screws in my shoes so I had grip.” Read her full quote below:
For Bond I only had 3 weeks of training, but Ballerina is a whole different level…this is by far the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. It was about 3-4 months of training…4-5 hours every day with the stunt team… We were in full winter in Prague in ice…they had to put screws in my shoes so I had grip.
What This Means For Ballerina
It Is Piling On The Action
From this description, it seems that Ballerina is just as action-packed as the previous John Wick movies. This makes sense, as the movie will have to prove itself as a viable follow-up to the previous four theatrical installments in the beloved franchise, which has collectively grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
Should the movie succeed in its mission, it could carve a new path for the franchise. So far, Ballerina is only the second spinoff after the 2023 Peacock miniseries The Continental. However, there are many other spinoffs in various stages of development, including a movie following the John Wick character Caine (Donnie Yen) and the series Under the High Table, following the criminal underworld. Should Ballerina become a box office success off the back of its action-packed story, more of these spinoffs will likely follow it in quick succession.
Our Take On The Ballerina Footage
John Wick Will Be A Notable Presence
Another important aspect of this new footage of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is the return of John Wick himself. While it seems likely that Reeves is reprising his role in just a few scenes from the movie, the fact that more and more footage of him is being shown likely means that these scenes are substantial and may last for several minutes apiece. This would be a gratifying return, underscoring the star’s commitment to the franchise even after the supposed death of his character.
